Lilywhite

Emma Healey Elizabeth is Missing ‘Elizabeth is missing.’ Maud keeps finding notes in her pockets with this message scrawled on it, but she can’t remember writing it. That said, she can’t remember much these days: the time of day, whether she’s eaten lunch, if her daughter’s come to visit, how much toast she’s eaten. Still, the notes about Elizabeth nag at her. When was the last time she spoke with her best friend? It feels like ages ago... Frustratingly, no one seems willing to help Maud find her: not the police nor Elizabeth’s son - not even Maud’s own daughter or granddaughter. It’s like they’re hiding something. Maud resolves to take matters into her own hands, and begins digging for the truth. There are many clues, but unhelpfully, they all seem to point to another unsolved disappearance: that of Maud’s sister Sukey just after the war. Could the mystery of Sukey’s disappearance lead Maud to the truth about Elizabeth? As Maud’s mind retreats into the past at a frightening pace, alienating her from her family and carers, vivid memories of what happened over fifty years ago come flooding back to give her quest new momentum. Started: 04/05/15 Finished: 07/05/15 Rated: 5/5 Comments: I loved this! I wasn't expecting such a well thought out story from the blurb. I was expecting more of a murder mystery/thriller type book but this was nothing like that. It's a slow amble through a frustrating jumble of thoughts and memories, as told by Maud. Maud is suffering from memory loss. To help her through her everyday tasks, she leaves herself notes and instructions. Maud spends a lot of time with her friend Elizabeth but Elizabeth is now missing and nobody else seems to have noticed. We follow Maud as she as she tries to piece together the whereabouts of her friend through scattered notes and flashbacks to her sisters disappearance when she was a child. Whilst it can be confusing trying to follow the story though past and present events, I felt this was intentional on the writers part. In a way, she is showing us how Maud feels trying to search through her failing memory to locate vital pieces of information. In a way, this story has opened my eyes to a side of dementia that I never really thought about and it's so well written and delicately handled.

Awww, they are lovely Athena! Such cute little things

I enjoyed it Noll! On the outset, this book is a bit crazy, a bit "out there"! She uses blatantly provocative words and the main character is incredibly loud but underneath, I felt there were the undercurrents of more important social issues just poking through. If you don't get put off by the odd profanity, it's definitely worth a read.

Congratulations Virginia! Exciting times Would love to see a picture of the baby chickens Athena. I love Spring and all the baby animals <3 I'm sat here freezing my bits off. It's supposed to be May but it definitely doesn't feel like it yet. I hope the sunshine hurries up, because there is nothing better than sitting outside with a book in the sunshine. I have some holiday time booked off from work in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping the temperatures will have picked up by then.

I've been a member of this forum for so long, I can't even remember a time when I wasn't able to log in and be a part of this wonderful community. I'm reliably informed by my profile that I have been a member since 05 Apr 2006! I have no idea how all this time has passed! I do remember searching the web for somewhere to get reading ideas and luckily for me, this was one of the top search results. I signed up and dove straight in to introduce myself and get to know the other lovely members. I was made to feel so welcome and although I haven't met any of the other members in person, I feel like I know you all anyway! The only downside to joining the forum is the dent it has made in my finances. My wishlist and to read list has grown substantially in this time but it's nice to know I'm not alone

Caitlin Moran How To Build A Girl What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn't enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes—and build yourself. It's 1990. Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there's no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde—fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer—like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontës—but without the dying-young bit. By sixteen, she's smoking cigarettes, getting drunk, and working for a music paper. She's writing pornographic letters to rock stars, having all the kinds of sex with all the kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less. But what happens when Johanna realizes she's built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all? Imagine The Bell Jar—written by Rizzo from Grease. How to Build a Girl is a funny, poignant, and heartbreakingly evocative story of self-discovery and invention, as only Caitlin Moran could tell it. Started: 20/04/15 Finished: 02/05/15 Rated: 4/5 Comments: Having read How to Build a Woman, I already knew that Caitlin Moran speaks volumes to me. She makes sense. She sees the world in a similar way and has all the same questions. This book, whilst being wholly fictional, still tackles the age old discussions around class and gender in the UK. I love her candid style where nothing is off limits. She even managed to use the "C" word, without it being out of place and offensive. She tells the story of a young girl from a council estate, with a family existing entirely off government benefits and dreams. She decides that this is not the life she is destined for and begins to build herself a new life. Whilst her story is crazy, and unbelievable and nonsensical, running in the background are pivotal threads. The threat of benefits being taken away and the effect this would have on her family; leaving school at sixteen to get work and bring vital money in for her family; entering a workplace entirely dominated by men and dealing with the social implications of being a female who enjoys sex. In typical Moran style, I spent a lot of time trying to stifle my laughter throughout and in other places, found myself nodding and agreeing with the social commentary running throughout. Very clever and very entertaining.

Gone Girl was amazing Athena! I didn't expect to enjoy it half as much as I did so it was a nice surprise I've heard so many good things about The Book Thief so I'm looking forward to making a proper start on it this weekend.

Markus Zusak The Book Thief HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH It's a small story, about: a girl an accordionist some fanatical Germans a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW - DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES Started: 06/04/5 Finished: 12/04/15 Rated: 5/5 Comments: Wow! How lucky have I been to read to amazing books in a row? This one has blown the socks off everything else I have read for a long time. It's such an emotional and thought provoking story which really resonated with me. Without a doubt, this book is being added to my favourites list and if anyone is debating reading it, you absolutely must. Don't overlook it, like I did for ages. You'll be missing out.

Gillian Flynn Gone Girl Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? Started: 31/03/15 Finished: 05/04/15 Rated: 4/5 Comments: It's been a long time since I read a book this quickly. I devoured it. So simple, yet intricately complicated. A fantastic read that I highly recommend.

Amy Poehler Yes Please In a perfect world . . . We'd get to hang out with Amy Poehler, watching movies, listening to music, and swapping tales about our difficult childhoods. Because in a perfect world, we'd all be friends with Amy - someone who seems so much fun, is full of interesting stories, tells great jokes, and offers plenty of advice and wisdom (the useful kind, not the annoying kind you didn't ask for). Unfortunately, between her Golden Globe-winning role on Parks and Recreation, work as a producer and director, place as one of the most beloved Saturday Night Live alumni, involvement with the website Smart Girls at the Party, frequent turns as an acting double for Meryl Streep, and her other gig as the mom of two young sons, she's not available for movie night. Luckily, we have the next best thing: Yes Please, Amy's hilarious and candid book. A collection of anecdotes, essays, ideas, lists, and haikus from the mind of one of America's most beloved entertainers, Yes Please offers Amy's thoughts on everything from her 'too safe' childhood outside of Boston to her early days in New York City, her ideas about Hollywood and showbusiness, the demon that looks back at all of us in the mirror, and her joy at being told she has 'a face for wigs'. A delight on every page, Yes Please is chock-full of words, and wisdom, to live by. Started: 25/02/15 Finished: 31/03/15 Rated: 4/5 Comments: I've only really seen Amy in a few stand up roles but her book had popped upon my radar a few times. I really enjoyed this candid insight into her life and career. She is delightfully honest throughout, which makes you feel like you have known her for years. A fantastic dose of real life, girl power!

I'm glad to report that my car did very well at his MOT and only the planned work needed doing on it. There are a couple of bits that will need doing before next year but at least I have time to complete it. We also had the flooring done last week, which I'm sooo pleased with. Our kitchen is very near complete now. just some tiling around the edges and a bit of paintwork and we are done. It's only taken three years

Wow March soon comes around! Millions of birthdays this month, not to mention Mothers Day here in the UK, so it will be a busy one, as usual. Although it generally means I get to see lots of family and friends. We had a lovely time in Essex this weekend staying with the "in-laws". We don't get to see them very often as they live so far away so it was nice to spend a few days there. We had a lovely day out in Battlesbridge looking at antiques and eating cake. Now I'm off work until next week but have the flooring being delivered and fitted and the car to get through it's MOT so there won't be much time for relaxing. Fingers crossed it passes and won't cost me any more money than necessary.

Thanks everyone! So far, so good. I've managed to finish the two ongoing reads I had and I've made a start on the Philippa Gregory Cousins War series I've had sat on the bookshelf for a while. I could get used to this life of leisure I went and had my hair cut today but it wasn't with the usual person and now I'm not sure I like it. I went a bit radical and opted for something different. I liked it in the hairdressers but now I've spent time staring at it in the mirror at home I don't think I like it at all. I'm hoping that once I've washed it and restyled it my way, I'll warm to it a bit more. As you can tell, I'm not one for changes!

Philippa Gregory The White Queen Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen. The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills. With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author. Started: 22/02/15 Finished: 08/03/15 Rated: 3/5 Comments: Typical Philippa Gregory. Bursting in with yet another series of books that I just can't read fast enough. I usually stick to the Tudors with my historical fiction but these sounded just as awesome and I haven't been disappointed.

I'm using up annual leave this week, so a whole week of not very much is planned! Yesterday I did just enough housework to make it look like I'd done something and then I finished my two ongoing books. I'm now free to start something new and really put some time into it, so I'm going to choose wisely We have a trip to London/Essex planned for the end of the week and I'm more excited about the uninterrupted reading time that I'll get on the train than anything else. It's been quite a while since I've had so much time on my hands, I'm almost giddy.

A rare day were we are both off and have no plans. With us both working odd shift patterns it doesn't happen that often at all. We've been and bought the flooring for our new kitchen. Now we just have to wait for a call to say it's in and is ready to fit. Hopefully in the next week or two at the most. Then we need some tiles for the wall and we are complete! This evening I plan on having a long bath and a good read. My two favourite things!!

Bec and N J Pearce Nemesis “I am Death. I am the Grim Reaper… It is my job to take the soul of the newly departed, from the life they knew to the next stage of existence… ” Annabelle Décor is a woman betrayed who is on a mission to punish infidelity, marking her victims with the make-up of those they have deceived. From his position of power, Death watches the story unfold before his eyes. Is this merely a woman driven crazy, or a possession by an old and vengeful god? Started: 01/02/15 Finished: 21/02/15 Rated: 3/5 Comments: This is the first book by my very dear friends and I was able to get my hands on a copy the moment it was released. I remember being asked to read the first segment, years ago, and finding myself needing to know what came next. Unfortunately, being friends with the authors didn't get me any more privileges and I had to wait, like everyone else, to find out what happened. This is Death's story. Not the story of Death; but a story told through the eyes and experiences of Death as he goes about his business of escorting people to the next world. The story is that of Annabelle Decor and her vengeful mission to punish those she sees as having cheated on their significant others. Having dealt the final justice to her victims, Annabelle would make up their faces to resemble those that were wronged and send a message to the world that infidelity would not be tolerated. Death is as much as a spectator in this story as we, the readers are, however, his job allows him to be at the scene of each crime and be able to interact with each of the victims on their way to their next destination. Piece by piece we follow Annabelle's handy work to a thrilling conclusion but will we ever really know what drives this woman to her chilling crimes? This is the first book by Bec and NJ Pearce and if it's a sign of things to come, then I'm excited. In places, it is a bit rough around the edges but, hey, show me a first book that isn't. This does not detract from the story, or the development of a fantastic character in Death. He is brilliant. I loved his old school demeanour and gentlemanly characteristics. Overall, this is a great read and hopefully, not the last we have heard from Death.

Willy Vlautin Lean on Pete Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson wants a home, food on the table, and a high school he can attend for more than part of a year. But as the son of a single father working in warehouses across the Pacific Northwest, Charley's been pretty much on his own. When tragic events leave him homeless weeks after their move to Portland, Oregon, Charley seeks refuge in the tack room of a run-down horse track. Charley's only comforts are his friendship with a failing racehorse named Lean on Pete and a photograph of his only known relative. In an increasingly desperate circumstance, Charley will head east, hoping to find his aunt who had once lived a thousand miles away in Wyoming but the journey to find her will be a perilous one. In Vlautin's third novel, Lean on Pete, he reveals the lives and choices of American youth like Charley Thompson who were failed by those meant to protect them and who were never allowed the chance to just be a kid. Started: 01/02/15 Finished: 21/02/15 Rated: 2/5 Comments: I feel bad rating this book only a two as it isn't particularly bad; I just didn't like it. The story is told from the point of view of 15 year old Charley who isn't having the best of time in his life. For this reason, the story is slow and told in the way a 15 year old would tell it. There are lots of irrelivant details, such as I went here, it took 15 minutes. I bought this and this at the store and then went home. At times it's almost like reading a written statement but I understand that this is the style of the book. It's supposed to sound this way because we are in the thoughts of a young boy. Despite this. I couldn't help but feel for poor Charley. He really is having a bad time of it and unfortunately it gets worse before it gets better. This was a tale of a young boy who had nothing and nobody, developing a friendship with an old horse and finding someone to talk too and depend on and survive a harsh world with.

Happy reading Michelle!

Wow! I've been in bookshops less organised, with fewer books! I am in awe and want to come and live in your library Happy reading in 2015!

Happy reading in 2015! Already making short work of it I see Os keeps harassing me to read the HP books, as I should like them when you look at the other books I like. I tried to read them many years ago when they were first popular and I just couldn't make it past the third book. Maybe, if I see a few more positive reviews, I'll be tempted to go back and give them another go.

Happy reading in 2015! Here's to that 5* book!

Happy reading in 2015!

Happy reading in 2015!

Thanks my lovelies! So far so good with my first book. I've been waiting to read it since it first came out and I've had to make myself put it down a couple of times as I could quite easily have read it all in one go. I'm a big fan of Lena Dunham and so far have found her story and experiences incredibly interesting. Noll, I haven't bought the second one yet as I wasn't sure if I would like them. I think I got one and three together in some sort of offer (two wasn't available) so I thought I would wait and see before adding to it.